


One Bride for One Brother: A Tale from the Stockholm Files

by aumontalc



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Forced Marriage, Kidnapping, Married Reylo, Reylo - Freeform, bridenapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aumontalc/pseuds/aumontalc
Summary: What could have happened if shrimpy, little Rey hadn't beaten a 6'3" giant with years of training at the end of The Force Awakens. Loosely based on the classic musical/film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Reylo
Comments: 26
Kudos: 59





	1. You Just Killed Your Father. Prepare To Die.

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-reading Musings  
> 1) I'm not a Star Wars expert. I will get things wrong and I apologize.  
> 2) Check out Seven Brides for Seven Brothers if you haven't seen it. You haven't seen dancing until you've seen a man dance with an axe.  
> 3) This is written his and her style - both POVs will be shown.

Rey lifted her hand, summoning the fallen lightsaber from its place in the downy white snow to her outstretched palm. Still shaken and sore from her collision with the tree, she knew the only way she would escape was to best Kylo Ren in a fight. And with Finn inert on the ground, it looked like she would be fighting him solo.

As the cool metal made contact with her hand after nearly grazing the father-murderer in front of her, she felt a chill that had nothing to do with the frigid temperature of the wintery forest surrounding her. As she powered the lightsaber, two blazing, brown eyes and one red, sparking lightsaber turned their full attention towards her. Not allowing herself time to think and weigh whether this was a smart decision or not, she ran at the man who’d just killed the man who’d been like a mentor to her.

Thirty seconds into the fight, Rey realized how foolish she’d been. She should have ran she chided herself. That would have been the most likely means of her making it out alive. How on earth was she ever going to defeat this giant luggabeast of a man? She was no match for him. It was through sheer will alone that she hadn’t collapsed. Her anger spurred her on, but as time went on she began to realize how futile this fight was. She was going to die by this man’s lightsaber.

Backed to the edge of a cliff, heaving and struggling with all her might not to fall, she felt a little give against the lightsaber in her hand. Kylo Ren wasn’t putting his full might into staving off the saber she was wielding against him. Maybe his injuries were getting to him, she thought, but then a look of reflection passed on his face.

“You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the Force.”

Was this man deranged? What would make him think she’d want a murderous lunatic as her teacher? That she would want to learn what he knows…methods of torture and misery. No, he had nothing of value to teach her.

He was right about one thing though, the Force. It could help her. If she focused all her energy on it, then maybe, just maybe, she could defeat this maniac. Body shaking with exertion, she used the temporary slack he’d given her to advantage and forced him backwards away from the cliff. Instead of being the attackee, she became the attacker, dealing blow after blow. She hit with more precision and more force than she had previously. Rey felt a bit of glee in her success. She would avenge Han Solo, the only fatherlike figure she’d ever known.

But her luck did not last long. He was stronger than her and as evidenced by his skill, better trained than her. After the initial shock of her applying a more deft hand at battle, Kylo began to adapt to her new style of fighting. And as she swung the saber high to hit him with a forceful blow, his block sent her stumbling to the ground. Then, as happened on Takodana, she felt a spinning sensation before she felt nothing at all.

* * *

Kylo whipped his body back to avoid the crash of metal into his skull. The lightsaber he’d been reaching for had been rudely stolen from his grasp and his eyes followed to discover who the thief had been.

Her. Rey, he thought her name was. _Rey, he knew that her name was._

He was in pain. He’d just finished fighting that traitor of a former stormtrooper and now it looked like Rey wanted a go as well. He didn’t want this. He was tired. His body and his soul ached from all that had happened today. Han Solo’s face flickered before his eyes. Grunting and hitting his side, he refused to focus on that particular pain. Luke. Skywalker. The map. The droid. This…girl. She was the one standing between him and what he wanted. If she wanted to fight, well, then, he’d fight.

Kylo could have laughed at her fighting technique because she had none. It was all rage and trying not to die. She needn’t worry about that. He didn’t think he had it in him to seriously injure her. He just needed to scare her enough so that she’d give him the answers he wanted.

Yet he couldn’t deny, as untrained as she was she had the courage and persistence, that if probably trained, could make her into someone great, someone worthy of ruling by his side especially since like himself she was strong in the Force.

As she trembled at the edge of the cliff, he felt pity for her. He didn’t want her harmed. He just wanted her on his side.

“You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the Force,” he found himself blurting. Why did he want to spare this girl’s life so much? He knew Snoke wouldn’t like it.

Rey stared at him as if a third eyeball had sprouted on his forehead. Her look of incredulity did not last long as her face became one of focus and peace. He didn’t know what was going on in her mind, but he wanted her to do something, say something.

His wish was soon granted as she forcefully wielded the lightsaber against him. Caught off guard, she got a few good blows against him, but then he learned the rhythm of her attacks and parried accordingly. With a strong swing, her lightsaber came for him again, but he successfully blocked it, sending her crashing to the ground. His body aching and his general desire for this nonsense to stop, he used the Force to knock her unconscious. He winced as he picked her up and began his trek back to the ship. She was light and underfed but he was injured so carrying her was taking more of a toll on him that it had on Takodana.

As he walked, his thoughts strayed to his father and a surge of emotions - anger, betrayal, regret, sorrow - filled him. He looked down at the motionless face of the scrappy girl in his arms. He remembered what he’d found in her mind - loneliness, despair, anger (mainly targeted at him), but also hope. He wanted hope. He wanted someone who understood him. He wanted Rey and he wasn’t planning on letting her go any time soon.


	2. Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in a Wintery Forest Anymore

Rey slowly opened her eyes, letting out a small moan. She’d just awoken from the most restful and peaceful sleep of her life. The bed she lay on was plush and luxurious, firm but still soft. A far cry from how and where she usually slept.

It did not take long to dawn on her that something wasn’t right. Memories of Han Solo’s death and the fight in the forest came rushing back to her. The last thing she remembered was swinging her saber at Kylo Ren before blacking out.

Sitting up so abruptly that it made her mind and stomach whirl, she took in her surroundings. She was in a room with every shade of grey imaginable. The sheets she lay on were a bluish gray, the desk and chair charcoal, the walls steel colored. Everything was sleek and monochrome, but it lacked true warmth. It was cold and clinical not unlike a medbay. Was that where she was? Was she injured?

No. She knew from the smell of the sheets and the closet in the corner of the room with a variety of black garments that she was in _his_ room.

Rapidly, Rey looked down at her frame and looked for signs of assault. Other than a few bruises likely caused by her crash into a tree, she looked the same. She was even in the same clothes she’d worn during their fight. It certainly seemed that nothing untoward had happened. Not that it couldn’t in the future. Maybe he was waiting for her to wake up before he made his move. A man that would kill his father wasn’t exactly known for his scruples.

At the sound of an opening door, Rey scrambled to her feet, eyes searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. The room had only the bare necessities and there were no blasters or lightsabers laying about.

“Strangling me with the sheets is your best bet,” a deep, sonorous voice answered her unspoken question. “I brought you something to drink and eat if you’re hungry.”

Rey disregarded to the tray laden with cushnip and hot chocolate that he placed on his desk. She ignored the rumbling of her stomach and instead focused on why in the galaxy she was in this man’s private quarters.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Rey warily watched as Kylo Ren took off his helmet and put it on the stand next to his closet. He plopped into the chair next to his desk.

He shook his head, tsking. “So suspicious. Do? I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Rey did not have time for his attempts at mind games. She needed out. She couldn’t stay here. She had to get back to Finn and General Organa and the rest of the members of the Resistance. “What do you want?” she all but shouted.

“You,” he replied simply.

“Excuse me?”

* * *

Kylo was glad that he was wearing his helmet so the other man couldn’t see the annoyance on his face. Armitage Hux was one of the most sycophantic dolts in the universe. He served under Snoke too but he didn’t have the doglike submission that Hux did. The man was essentially Snoke’s lackey and for that reason he could never be trusted. Kylo knew that Hux would go to any lengths to secure his own position in the First Order, ousting out colleagues as need be.

“Is this what you want to focus your energy on? That scavenger rat?”

Kylo clenched his teeth and steeled his hand from moving to his saber. Rey wasn’t a scavenger rat. After an evening spent watching her sleep, he’d come to realize how lovely, fresh, and pure she was. He knew how hard and lonely her life had been but she’d never let that beat her down. He remembered the little smile that had formed on her face as she’d found a comfortable position on the bed. She still had the propensity for joy. She hadn’t let life make her miserable as it had made him.

Maybe he was being foolish. Maybe he was picking a battle that he shouldn’t, but he’d served Snoke for how many years without asking a single thing in return? Hadn’t he just murdered his own father for the Supreme Leader? Was wanting Rey by his side so very much to ask?

“She’s seen the map. She knows where Luke Skywalker is.”

The red-haired, fair complexioned main shrugged. “And your point? Hand her over to me and I’ll have the information out of her before she can say scan grid.”

Kylo seethed. No longer able to constrain himself, he found his mind allowing himself to force choke the general. The man spluttered and coughed.

“There will be no need for that. Besides she may prove useful in other ways. She could become one of us,” Kylo said, daring his heart to hope.

He let the force choke dissipate and walked away from the still gagging man and towards the galley.

Leaving minutes later with a tray of food and drink for Rey, he headed back to his personal chambers.

Upon entering, he noticed her guarded stance. Her eyes were scanning his quarters for something to attack him with. After their sparring in the forest, he did not doubt her resourcefulness. He’d have to keep an eye on this one.

“Strangling me with the sheets is your best bet,” he answered the question in her furtive gaze. “I brought you something to drink and eat if you’re hungry.”

Rey barely spared a glance for the sustenance he’d brought her. Instead her eyes flamed at him, it didn’t take a mind reader to know she was livid.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Buying himself some time and mentally preparing himself for the conversation they were about to have, he took off his helmet and placed it on its stand.

He shook his head, tsking, as he took a seat in his desk chair. “So suspicious. Do? I’m not going to do anything to you.” He wasn’t planning on hurting her.

“What do you want?” she cried.

“You,” he answered.

“Excuse me?” Her eyes had widened and she took a step back.

“I want you. To teach you. To guide you. To rule with you.”

Rey shook her head. “No! I demand you let me go!”

“I fear that’s out of the question. I’m not going to let you go. I am going to marry you.”


	3. How Do I Loathe Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Stark raving mad. That’s what he was. Insane. A lunatic. Psychotic. A madman.

There was absolutely no universe in which she’d agree to marry him.

“You are deranged!” she shouted as she backed further away from him into the corner diagonal from where he was sitting. Panic filled her. She had to get out. “I would never marry someone like you!”

Anger began to brew to the surface of Kylo’s face. “Someone like me?” He said, his voice a warning signal. “What do you mean by that? I am powerful. I could give you anything you want. Your life on Jakku was desolate and meager. You barely scraped by. As my wife, you would always be provided for. You’d never go hungry again. Marriage to me could be quite attractive.”

Rey snorted. The only thing attractive about him was his perfectly coifed hair. And his lips. And his eyes. But no. Rey shook her head both mentally and physically. Outward appearance didn’t matter. Wealth and power didn’t matter. What really mattered was who someone was on the inside. And his insides were rotten to the core.

“Shall I elaborate?” She spat.

“Please do.”

“Well, the most obvious objection is that you’re a murderer. Not just any murderer. A man who would kill his father. Who knows how many others died at your hand or your command?”

“You are part of the Resistance, no? Has no blood been shed at their hands?”

Rey boiled. For him to think the two sides were in any way comparable was ludicrous. “It’s not the same and you know it! We’re fighting for our freedom!”

Kylo shrugged. “Order is what this galaxy needs. People would thrive all over the galaxy if they would just listen to sense. But no, everybody wants their precious freedom.”

She knew it’d be futile to fight with him on that point so she aimed at what she couldn’t forgive. “Your father was extending a hand to you in peace. He wasn’t trying to hurt you or trick you. He just wanted his son back. And you…you betrayed him!”

“He betrayed me first!” Kylo yelled, rising to his feet in such a hurry the chair crashed to the ground. He stalked over to her corner, fire leaping from his eyes. “Do not speak of what you know nothing of!”

Rey felt herself begin to tremble. To say that Kylo Ren was intimidating was an understatement. The man was huge and powerful and volatile as all get out. She hated herself for this weakness, but she feared him.

It was as if Kylo had registered these emotions the same time as she did for in a split second he was retreating back to his chair, righting it before sitting in it once again.

“It is of no use to discuss the matter of my father. Not knowing our….history….you have your own opinions based on the man you think Han Solo is.”

 _Was_. Rey silently said to herself.

“One day I will likely explain to you our unique relationship, but until then it’s best not discussed. I can understand your hesitancy based on my father’s lies, but other than what you think you know about that relationship, you surely don’t have any objections to marrying me?”

Her earlier assessment still stood. This man was mentally unstable.

“Oh, no. No objections at all aside from the murdering. And the kidnapping, the force choking, using violence to get your way, your vengefulness, your inability to control your temper. You’re a catch, Kylo Ren, an absolute catch.”

Kylo sneered. “You know nothing about me.”

“Who would want to? You’re a monster!”

“I’m a monster who’s about to be your husband!” The chair fell sideways to the floor again.

“Never!” Rey replied viciously. “I will never marry you!”

A cold, mirthless laugh escaped his lips. “Oh, I think you will.”

* * *

“You are deranged! I would never marry someone like you!” Rey shouted as she backed away from him. She was taking the news of his intentions quite poorly. She was acting like he’d just suggested that she jump into the mouth of a sarlacc. Did she not know what he could offer her? He could give her the galaxy.

“Someone like me?” He replied. “What do you mean by that? I am powerful. I could give you anything you want. Your life on Jakku was desolate and meager. You barely scraped by. As my wife, you would always be provided for. You’d never go hungry again. Marriage to me could be quite attractive.”

His words didn’t seem to move her. It seemed like the benefits of a relationship with him were not convincing on their own merit. He had a back up plan, of course, but he really didn’t want to use it. He wanted Rey to want him for himself not because he forced her.

“Shall I elaborate?” She replied.

“Please do,” he foolishly answered. Did he really want to know why her eyes harbored so much hate for him?

“Well, the most obvious objection is that you’re a murderer. Not just any murderer. A man who would kill his father. Who knows how many others died at your hand or your command?”

The mention of his father stung. It was not an event he’d remember fondly, but it had been a necessary action. Choosing not to focus on that part of her objection, he refuted the more hypocritical of her statements.

“You are part of the Resistance, no? Has no blood been shed at their hands?”

Her face turned bright pink as her eyes sparked in righteous indignation. “It’s not the same and you know it! We’re fighting for our freedom!”

“Order is what this galaxy needs. People would thrive all over the galaxy if they would just listen to sense. But no, everybody wants their precious freedom.”

The Resistance was a thorn in the side of progress. Why all this needless rebellion? When they could just take orders and go on about their lives.

“Your father was extending a hand to you in peace. He wasn’t trying to hurt you or trick you. He just wanted his son back. And you…you betrayed him!”

She just couldn’t let his father’s death go, could she? What did she know of the loneliness of his childhood? Of being shipped off to a reclusive uncle? He’d felt unwanted, unloved, a nuisance. If his parents had truly loved him, they’d have stayed by his side. He wouldn’t feel guilty for their abandonment.

“He betrayed me first! Do not speak of what you know nothing of!”

Without realizing it, he’d flown out of his chair and was bounding towards Rey. He was usually in the thicket of his feelings before he was aware of them. Her accusations had cut into an already gaping wound. But it was the fear in her eyes, the slight tremble in her lips that brought him back to reality. She knew only his father’s lies, not the real story. Forcing himself to calm down, he moved back to his desk.

“It is of no use to discuss the matter of my father. Not knowing our….history….you have your own opinions based on the man you think Han Solo is. One day I will likely explain to you our unique relationship, but until then it’s best not discussed. I can understand your hesitancy based on my father’s lies, but other than what you think you know about that relationship, you surely don’t have any objections to marrying me?”

“Oh, no. No objections at all aside from the murdering. And the kidnapping, the force choking, using violence to get your way, your vengefulness, your inability to control your temper. You’re a catch, Kylo Ren, an absolute catch.”

Kylo inwardly winced and felt his anger surge again. “You know nothing about me.”

“Who would want to? You’re a monster!”

“I’m a monster who’s about to be your husband!” He’d tried being nice. He’d tried reasoning with her. But it was to no avail. He’d have to give her more convincing proof as to why she should marry him.

“Never! I will never marry you!”

“Oh, I think you will. Come, I have something to show you.” He said, grabbing her arm and propelling her out the door of his chambers. They walked into the hallway, turned left, and then right until they reached one of the interrogation rooms.

Opening the door, he showed her the prisoner inside. “Marry me and he’ll live.”


	4. I’ll Not Have What She’s Having

“Don’t you look beautiful!” The Mikkian woman told Rey as she arranged her pink head tendrils and smoothed the wrinkles out of her lacy, white dress.

“Um,” Rey mumbled, knowing she should return the compliment but not finding her vocal cords strong enough to utter any words. She was still in a state of shock. A lot had happened in the past twelve hours. Mainly, that she’d made a hypocrite of herself. How silly to think she could say something as bold as I will never marry you. Yet here she was in the dressing room of a 24 hour wedding chapel in Coruscant standing next to another bride-to-be. And she’d never looked better she admitted as she eyed herself in the mirror. She was squeaky clean from her head to her feet. Even he dirt and grime underneath her pink toenail was gone.

Coruscant Wedding Bells Chapel was a full-service chapel for the more elite equipped with a spa, a hair salon, and a bridal shop. Her body had been scrubbed and plucked, her nails manicured, her hair curled and styled elegantly, and her frame shoved into the silkiest, softest material she’d ever felt against her skin. For the first time in her nineteen years, she experienced the miracle of well-made, fine apparel. She had curves!

Yet it didn’t matter how nice she looked because she was being sent to her death. She was marrying a barbarian who would make her life and everyone else’s around him miserable. But what choice did she have? Her hands were tied. If she wanted to ensure Finn’s safety, she had to follow through with Kylo’s plan.

“Oh, poor thing! You look pale as a ghost! Don’t be nervous. Tell me about your guy while we wait. That’ll take your mind off your nerves.”

My guy’s six foot three with dark brown hair, a ferocious temper, and homicidal tendencies who’s forcing me to marry him so my friend can live. Yeah, that wasn’t something she could share to a stranger she’d just met.

“Um….I….we…he…” Rey spluttered.

The Mikkian woman smiled and patted her hand. “How about I tell you how I met my Joplu instead? I came to Coruscant a little over a year ago. I’d had a falling out with my family. Let’s just say we couldn’t agree to disagree. When I got here, I was mighty lonesome. I only know a handful of languages and there seemed to be a zillion different species living here. Then, one day I was craving food from home and stumbled into the only Mikkian restaurant on the planet. That’s when I met Joplu. He was my warrior. My Jedi with shining lightsaber. Not really,” the woman said as an aside. “He’s just a chef and restaurant owner. But finding another Mikkian in this crazy city…I don’t know. It felt like coming home. He’s not as talkative as me, but he’s kind and I know he loves me. And I’m just so excited I’m about to burst! Oh, I’m Teblee by the way. What’s your name?”

“R-Rey.”

The door opened to the dressing room and a professionally dressed woman with an earpiece said to the room of five women, “Teblee? Rey? You two are up next. Please line up in the hallway.”

“Oh, that’s us! It’s very good to meet you Rey! I hope you and your groom will be just as happy as me and Joplu!”

Rey mindlessly followed the wedding coordinator down the hallway. She stopped where the woman indicated and watched as Teblee bounded down the aisle to meet her smiling groom, a green Mikkian with head tendrils that stopped just above his ears.

Her heart beat rapidly as she realized that in minutes it would be her standing up there with Kylo Ren. She wanted to run, to flee, but he had made it abundantly clear that there was no scenario in which she escaped that Finn survived. He would not be freed until they were legally married. She would have to find the strength within herself to do this. To say I do to that beast.

The officiant had barely uttered “You may now kiss your bride” before Teblee had jumped upon her new husband. Their lips and bodies practically merging into one person before her eyes. Rey blushed at the passion before her. She could not imagine feeling that way towards anyone and especially not Kylo Ren.

Coughing at the still smooching couple before him, the officiant crooked his finger at the wedding coordinator “I believe we’re ready for our next couple.”

The jubilant couple broke apart, laughing. Teblee waved at her, saying “Good luck! You’ll do fine!” before rushing out the door with her new husband.

At the end of the aisle, she watched as Kylo found his place next to the other man. A bouquet of fire lilies was placed in her hands and with a gentle shove she was set down the aisle to her doom.

Just get through this and Finn will live. Just get through this and Finn will live. She repeated to herself.

Looking at the man looming above her as she came to a stop at the end of the aisle, Rey felt tears prick her eyes. This wasn’t what she wanted. The unfairness and injustice hit her full force. But there was no way out. She was stuck.

Rey mentally steeled herself. She wouldn’t let this walking human atrocity see her cry. Yes, he was getting his way. She was marrying him wasn’t she? He’d won the battle, but he wouldn’t win the war.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur as they said their I dos. There was no passionate kiss a la Teblee and Joplu for them because Rey made sure to turn her cheek just in time. She tried not to think of how his plush lips felt against her skin.

Then, they were on their way back to the ship. She’d insisted on seeing Finn being set free before they left Coruscant.

As Finn stumbled out of the confining room he’d been trapped in for over a day, she rushed over to hug him and whispered, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’ll find a way to get back to the Resistance if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Rey,” Finn said, his voice a question. He looked confused and worried at the same time.

“That’s enough hugging,” Kylo interrupted, grabbing Finn and placing him in the hands of the stormtroopers who roughly carried him off the ship.

Rey watched as her friend was deposited on solid ground before the stormtroopers turned and reboarded. Within minutes, they were leaving Coruscant and Rey was alone with her new husband.

* * *

Once dressed and fully groomed, Kylo sat anxiously waiting for his turn to get married. There were a handful of other men in the dressing room along with him, all dressed to the nines, all displaying varying degrees of worry. Not him. He knew that Rey was the gal for him. She might not think they had a lot in common but they did. They both used the Force. They’d both experienced loneliness in their lives. They were both stubborn, he thought as a wry grin broke out onto his face. And what they didn’t have in common was to their advantage. She was weak where he was strong and vice versa. No, he wasn’t worried about his choice in mate, maybe mildly concerned she’d run away before their nuptials, but that’s why that treasonous ex-stromtrooper of a friend of hers was under lock and key until she was his Mrs.

Finally, it was his time to be wed. He took his place next to the officiant and watched breathlessly as Rey made her way to him. She looked radiant like a heavenly being in the white, silky gown that clung to her form. They’d curled her hair and he found he liked this new look on her. He thought she was beautiful no matter what she wore or how her hair was styled, but there was no doubt she looked a vision tonight.

For a moment, he thought he saw the shininess of tears in her eyes, but then the steeliness in her gaze returned and he thought he must have been mistaken. She may be unwilling to marry him now, but he’d spend the rest of his life proving she’d made the right decision.

The vows went by in a blur. He hardly recognized what he was saying.

Before he knew it, the officiant was saying “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

The moment he’d been waiting for. He’d be lying if he said he’d never thought of what it would be like to kiss her, to taste her sweet, berry lips. Bending his head, he dipped down to do just that when he was met with a hard smack of cheekbone instead. Undeterred, he pressed a light kiss on her smooth, delicate cheek.

They walked down the aisle to the exit and as soon as they hit the door and made their way outside, she turned and said, “I want to see Finn released.”

“Let’s have dinner first. There’s a good restaurant…”

“Now,” she commanded firmly. “You promised if I married you you’d set him free.”

He swallowed her words bitterly. This wasn’t exactly how he pictured the start of their marriage but maybe once they’d settled the Finn business they could get on with their lives.

They made their way back to the ship and he ordered the guards to set the prisoner free.

He did his best to hold his fury in check as he watched Rey willingly hug another human. And not just any human, a man. Did she love Finn? Jealousy rose in him and he moved to part the two.

“That’s enough hugging,” he retorted before handing the man over to the troopers to be escorted off the premises. He was looking forward to being alone with his bride and this man was killing the mood.

He watched as she made sure her friend made it safely off the ship. She waved from the window at him and continued to wave until they’d taken off and the other man was but a tiny speck in the distance.

“They’ve brought some food to our rooms. Let’s retire there to eat.” And do other things.

Rey obediently followed him to the quarters that were now theirs. When the door closed, she turned to him with a fear and nervousness in her eyes. In a braver voice than her eyes portrayed, she murmured, “I’ll live alongside you, but I won’t sleep alongside you.”


	5. Keep Your Enemies Close, But Your Spouses Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the terrible title. Might change it when I think of something more clever, LOL.

Rey chewed desolately on her breakfast as she stared at the steel colored walls of her prison cell. One month. Hard to believe, but she’d been married one month. Well, not married in the truest sense, she’d made sure of that. She eyed the saber-damaged desk across the room, remembering how poorly Kylo had taken the news.

_“We are married. That’s part of the deal, that you sleep with me.”_

_“Yeah, well, most married people love each other, don’t they? And I most certainly don’t love you. Who could?”_

She’d remembered her surprise at his wince. That was when she’d understood why he so frequently wore a mask. He wasn’t good at keeping his feelings hidden. He had an easily read face. It hadn’t taken long for the look of hurt to pass and to be replaced by seething anger, Kylo’s go-to emotion.

_“I don’t care if you love me,” he sneered. “You made vows.”_

She should have been scared. Any sane being would have been, but after all that she’d been through…the fight in the forest, being kidnapped, forced into marriage, saying goodbye to her only friend…she couldn’t muster up the fear. He would do whatever he was going to do, but she would stand her ground.

_“The only way you’ll have me is if you take me by force. I will never sleep with you. Never.”_

In an instant, Kylo’s saber had burned bright red and the desk took a valiant beating.

_“Fine, but you will still sleep in my chambers. Whether you want the bed or the floor is up to you,” he spat before stalking out the door._

And not much had changed in their relationship since then. She was still his captor. Oh, she was allowed to roam The Finalizer, but all eyes were always on her. There wasn’t a move she made that that wasn’t being surveilled by others. She thought she’d do some spying for the Resistance and maybe find a way to contact them, but she could never find a moment to herself. There was always a stormtrooper or officer nearby.

She had learned some things. For instance, she felt she had a good idea of the layout of the ship. She’d even been able to help out in the engine room from time to time and was learning the ship’s strengths and weaknesses. But most of her days were pretty boring. She mostly ate and read. She’d even gained some weight, but the food was so good here unlike anything she’d had on Jakku that she couldn’t resist. She’d found the training room and had watched as a sweaty Kylo sparred with a subordinate, but had never been allowed to train there herself. So she made do with the confines of this room, making sure she was fit and ready for the time when she was finally able to escape.

There was one area that they’d both bent a little. That first night, Rey had been determined to sleep on the floor as having a room to herself had been forbidden. And there was no way she would lay next to the man she despised, no matter how warm or comfortable his bed was. She had her pride. But outer space was cold and the floor was even colder. She’d lay shivering on the floor for a little over an hour before she’d felt strong arms lifting her and dumping her unceremoniously on the bed.

_“I’m not going to force myself on you,” he said gruffly. “Sleep here. I’ll sleep in the chair.”_

And that’s how their first week of marriage had passed. She stubbornly settling herself on the floor each night before her new husband came to pick her up and put her on the bed. She didn’t let her mind ponder too long on how comforting being in his arms was. In fact, it was on one night when she’d been particularly sleepy and found herself burrowing into his chest that she’d realized something had to change. This routine of theirs was becoming dangerous. She’d instantly frozen in his arms and had wiggled out of them before they’d reached the bed.

_“You need to stop picking me up,” she said censoriously, fuming at him as much as herself._

_“You need to stop sleeping on the floor.”_

_“Fine. I’ll sleep on the bed if you’ll sleep in the chair.”_

_“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”_

_“Well, now, it’s…um…a spoken agreement.”_

A few weeks had passed with this arrangement being honored by both parties. But a few days ago, she’d noticed how stiff and sore Kylo seemed. She knew it must be mighty uncomfortable to sleep in that chair every night. He might be a monster but he was still human. She’d even suggested he find another bed on the ship.

_“Sleep in a room other than my own chambers? That’ll make me look like an imposing leader,” he’d scoffed._

Three nights ago, she caved. Earlier in the day, she’d asked for extra pillows from the supply room. That night she arranged the pillows in a vertical line halfway down the bed.

_“This is your side of the bed,” she said when he walked in after finishing his evening rounds. “As long as you stay on your side, we won’t have any problems. Understand?”_

He’d nodded and after using the fresher had joined her in the bed. She was so nervous she’d barely gotten a wink of sleep. In the middle of the night, she’d turn to look at him. He was sleeping on his back, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling slowly. Her eyes studied his moles, his large nose, the prominent Adam’s apple, the long, dark curls she was so tempted to touch. In his sleep, he wasn’t Kylo Ren, he was simply Ben Solo, Han Solo and General Organa’s son.

She thought of all that his mother had told her about him. How he’d gone awry, how much his parents regretted about how they’d chosen to raise him, how much his mother still loved him even after all he’d done. Rey found herself wishing she’d known this Ben Solo fellow. She could have loved him.

* * *

As Kylo nodded and pretended to attend to what Hux was saying, his mind wandered to the fact that today was his one month anniversary. And yet so little of his life had changed when he got married. The only difference was that he now had a roommate who hated his guts and was eager to escape. He still slept alone although that had recently changed, he thought to himself, a glimmer of a smile on his lips. Maybe little by little he was making her warm up to him. Despite the new change in sleeping arrangements, he still felt very alone in his marriage. Rey did not seem to want to get to know him better. They rarely talked. There was a lot of silence.

On top of that Snoke and Hux were highly suspicious of his wife since marrying had not given them the information they sought - the location of Luke Skywalker. Although to be honest, that had been more his personal mission. But they weren’t happy that his marriage to Rey had proved fruitless and took every opportunity to disparage her and question his reasons for marrying her.

Try as he might, he’d never been able to get the intel on where Luke Skywalker was. He’d even tried slipping into her mind while she was asleep but to no avail. So he’d ended up lying to cover for her saying that she had never seen the map herself. He’d directed their focus to seeking out the droid and his owner, some pilot name Dameron. Eventually, they’d stopped questioning him, but he knew he couldn’t make any more missteps. It was no longer just about protecting his hide, but Rey’s too.

When Hux finished speaking, Kylo nodded curtly as if he’d listened to the other man’s whole spiel and returned to his chambers to eat lunch, only to discover that the rooms were empty. Rey must be out exploring the ship again.

Kylo plopped into his desk chair and shook his lunch out on top of the battered desk before him. As he bit into his sandwich, he recalled how it had sustained those injuries.

_“We are married. That’s part of the deal, that you sleep with me.” He argued._

_“Yeah, well, most married people love each other, don’t they? And I most certainly don’t love you. Who could?”_

Her words had cut, hearing how she truly felt about him, because he had struggled from a young age at feeling good enough to be loved. His own parents hadn’t loved him. Why would Rey be any different? The painful thought had made him flinch. He remembered the brief flicker of pity in his wife’s eyes before he became enraged that she thought him weak. He didn’t need or want her pity.

_“I don’t care if you love me,” he sneered. “You made vows.”_

For twenty-nine years, his life had been centered around the Force exploring and training in the light and dark sides of it. He had had little use for human interactions because he knew they would only end in disappointment. He’d just wanted power and to live up to his grandfather’s reputation. But after meeting Rey, he started to care about another human being. He wanted human contact, human touch, and she was denying him access to it, perpetuating the theme of his life, never getting what he wanted.

_“The only way you’ll have me is if you take me by force. I will never sleep with you. Never.”_

How those words had burned him. He knew how little she thought of him as she said them. Sure he had done some questionable things but he would never force himself upon a woman. When they’d married, he had only assumed they’d do what all other married couples did. She apparently had other plans.

_“Fine, but you will still sleep in my chambers. Whether you want the bed or the floor is up to you,” he spat before stalking off._

At the time, he had meant what he’d said. If she didn’t want to sleep with him, she could sleep on the floor, but that night he’d ended up eating his own words. All it had taken was seeing her slight frame shivering on the floor. He had been stubborn at first, planning on playing the waiting game. Surely she’d come to the warmth of the bed in a sense of self-preservation. For well over an hour, they’d played a foolish game of chicken until he could bear the sight of her trembling, undernourished body no longer. He’d gotten out of bed, scooped her up all the while ignoring her protest, and dropped her on the bed none too gently. For a moment, he planned on joining her on the other side of the bed, but the wide-eyed fear in Rey’s eyes had made him pause.

_“I’m not going to force myself on you,” he grumbled bitterly. “Sleep here. I’ll sleep in the chair.”_

For a week, they fell into this routine. Rey making up a pallet for herself on the ground. He only being able to last for approximately thirty minutes before he scooped her up. Each night, he had made the journey of depositing her to the bed last longer and longer. It was the only time she allowed him to touch her and he was quick to take advantage of it. Even though she faked outrage each time. She must have caught on to how much he enjoyed it because she put a stop to it after a few days. She eventually slept in the bed willingly although she’d made it clear he was not welcome to sleep there. Instead, he was given the joy of sleeping in his desk chair each night.

But then, something had changed. He wasn’t quite sure what, but he wouldn’t question the good fortune that had befallen him. One evening, he’d arrived to his quarters to find multiple pillows in the middle of the bed.

_“This is your side of the bed,” she said motioning to the left side of the bed. “As long as you stay on your side, we won’t have any problems. Understand?”_

He’d nodded and then promptly retreated to the fresher where he had to physically restrain himself from pumping his fist in the air. Progress.

His heart had pounded so loudly that it took him ages to fall asleep. He had simply closed his eyes and basked in the newness of the experience. At one point, he felt her eyes roving over him and he did his best to pretend he was asleep. She’d stared at him for what felt like ages before he had heard a light snore emitting from her side of the bed.

Feeling that it was safe to open his eyes, he turned as gently as his big frame allowed and allowed himself to stare at her fine and lovely features. Kylo noticed that she’d gain some weight and smiled. He liked her plump and rosy. He liked everything about her even when she made him so mad that he saw red. He didn’t just like her. He loved her.


	6. You Trying To Kiss Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I do not pretend to know or understand the complex world of Star Wars stuff. I’ve done a little bit of digging but the following is likely to be wildly inaccurate. Apologies, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Rey’s sleep-encrusted eyes slowly blinked open.

She sensed a nearness, another human zeroing in on her space bubble. And as her eyes opened, she noticed it was Kylo. Kylo invading her space. Kylo going against the predetermined rules of their sleeping situation.

His hand gently swept back the loose strands of her hair from her face. His eyes were soft and focused on her mouth. The tip of his tongue peeked out, quickly licking his lips. Rey felt as if she were in a trance that she couldn’t snap out of. She watched as his head bent closer to hers and his lips got nearer and nearer to her own. Rey’s heart galloped. What should she do? Scream? Fight back? Let him kiss her?

The moment she thought about letting the kiss happen was the moment she knew she had to put a stop to these dangerous thoughts immediately.

“Stop! What are you doing?” She growled, reaching up to shove him away.

Kylo’s face instantly disintegrated and Rey was left staring up at a dark ceiling with her hands pushing against air.

“Stop what?” She heard him ask as she felt the bed shift under his weight as he turned his body to face her. The pillow border between them was untouched and intact.

“What…what you were doing…y-you were about to k-kiss me,” she managed to stammer out, her cheeks aflame at having to say the words aloud.

“I assure you I have been on my side of the bed this entire time. Maybe you were dreaming.”

“Me? Dream of kissing you?” That was crazy. Was it crazy? She asked, doubting herself. Was her subconscious trying to tell her something?

Shaking that thought out of her head, she mumbled, “Never mind,” before turning away from him to try to go back to sleep.

_The Next Day_

“See the problem is this part right here…if you replace it, the lateral stabilizer should work just fine,” Rey told the Stormtrooper who had just minutes ago been kicking the wall in frustration.

The trooper nodded and Rey left him to finish the job. Her eyes scanned the engine room, taking in all the parts that it took to run a spaceship of this size. As she was about to peruse the inner workings of a rocket booster, she felt a sudden rush of anger pour over her.

“Where are you?” She felt Kylo hiss to the core of her bones.

Startled, Rey looked around. Kylo was nowhere to be seen. The engine room was a sea of white Stormtroopers.

Ugh, he was so bossy. She could never have a moment’s peace.

“Where are you?” She heard again. “You should be in our rooms.”

How was she hearing this? What was going on? Why could she sense his presence when he was nowhere to be found?

Rey also felt as if she could feel what he was feelings, that she was in some crazy, unexplainable way in tune with his emotions. He was in one of his rages she knew, but she also recognized a tinge of fear.

Deciding not to tempt fate and test what he would do when he was this livid, Rey set out for the rooms she shared with Kylo.

* * *

Kylo settled on his side, facing away from the line of pillows that physically divided him from his wife, and closed his eyes. It had been an exhausting day. Hux had worn on his nerves as per usual. In fact, the other man wasn’t wanting to let up about Rey and the circumstances surrounding their marriage. He’d even insinuated that she’d married him to spy on the First Order. Kylo wouldn’t put it past Rey to spy for the Resistance, but he knew for a fact she’d rather be free than here collecting intel. But still it was a worry and one not likely to go away any time soon.

Sighing, he wished things were different between him and Rey. He wished she’d talk to him. He wished she’d let him hold her, let him kiss her.

In his mind, the seeds of a fantasy sprang to life. In this fantasy, he toppled the cursed pillow barrier and joined her on her side of the bed so he could look into his beloved’s face. As he hovered above her, she didn’t shrink back in fear, but smiled lovingly at him. She even tilted up her face as if she were begging him to kiss her. He returned her smile and gently brushed back a strand of loose hair from her face. His eyes roved over her lips and feeling parched, he licked his own. He knew this wasn’t real, that the real Rey would shank him without a second thought, but in this dream world, this fantasy world, Rey was responsive to him. He could have the relationship with her that he wanted. One that involved kissing. And so he bent his bent his head to place his lips on hers. At least in his fantasies, he could know what it was like to kiss her.

Except that even in his fantasies he wasn’t allowed to kiss her, because just as his lips were about to brush against hers, he felt hands pushing into his ribs. “Stop! What are you doing?”

Kylo’s eyes opened lickety split. His heart raced. It was like she knew what he’d been thinking. Surely, he would have felt her presence in his mind, no? There’s no way she could have known. He was being paranoid.

“Stop what?” He asked, trying to be as composed and calm as possible. He wasn’t wearing his mask, but hopefully the dark would hide the tell-tale guiltiness of his reddened ears.

“What…what you were doing…you were about to k-kiss me,” he heard her stutter.

She’d known exactly what he’d been thinking. Droids! Playing it off as best as he could, he said, “I assure you I have been on my side of the bed this entire time. Maybe you were dreaming.”

“Me? Dream of kissing you?” Welp, that was a blow to the old ego. But it shouldn’t surprise him. He knew how or more precisely how little she thought of him. He was about to respond when she turned away from him, saying, “Never mind.”

Kylo didn’t fall asleep for a long time after that. His mind was a whirl of trying to figure out just how she’d gotten into his mind without his noticing. Something was very strange here indeed.

_The Next Day_

“Guard, go get that scavenger— I apologize, go get Kylo Ren’s _wife_ from their rooms and bring her to me.”

“What?” Kylo said, stumbling in the middle of his report on the status of the First Order’s current mission. Snoke’s command was completely out of the blue.

“I would like to formally meet your wife, Ren. We’ve never had a chance to talk, to chat, to shoot the breeze if you will.”

And Kylo had been hoping they never would.

Hux, who was standing next to him, was practically beaming. The general was pleased as punch at his discomfort. Kylo promised to make him pay and soon. He was itching to force choke him but steadied his emotions because there were bigger things to worry about, mainly how to protect Rey.

Desperate and slightly fearful for his bride, he replied, “No guard is needed. I will collect her myself.”

Snoke waved his hand and rolled his eyes. “Fine, but be back within the hour or I’ll send the guards after you too.”

Kylo made a beeline for his room. He needed to speak with Rey before he presented her to Snoke, to warn her, to coach her on what to say or not say to the Supreme Leader.

When he entered their rooms, she was nowhere in sight and not in the ‘fresher either. Hot boiling rage washed over him. This was the not time for her to be off on one of her merry jaunts about the ship. Especially when it could be assumed that she was off doing the very thing that Hux and Snoke were accusing her of, spying on the First Order.

“Where are you?” He hissed in the empty room.

_You’re so bossy. Can’t I have a moment’s peace?_

Kylo was jolted by this sudden connection. It was as if he could hear her voice, but where was she?

“Where are you?” He said aloud again. “You should be in our rooms.”

He felt as if he could sense her rolling her eyes at him. And that irked him even more. Did the woman not understand what kind of position they were in? How precarious everything was? How he worried that someone would take her or hurt her?

If it were humanly possible, steam would have shot from his ears. That’s how piping mad he was. _If you don’t come here, right now, I WILL find you. And I guarantee you won’t like it when I do._

He felt a shift in the emotions that had been radiating from Rey as they changed from annoyance to heightened concern. Somehow she must know what he was going through and how he was feeling, because he could perceive that she was on her way to meet him.


End file.
